The most common crime and punishment vocabulary with audios for pronunciation. This word list covers crimes, criminals, punishment, court proceedings and other useful words to write and talk about the topic of crime. Practice the words with the vocabulary exercise at the bottom of the page.

Types of Crime: Major & Minor Crime Vocabulary

These crimes are divided into crimes which are considered serious and those that are not.

Major Crimes

The list of crimes below are all nouns.

abduction = taking someone against their will (kidnapping)

arson = setting fire to a property

assault = a physical attack

burglary = illegal entry to a building with an intent to commit a crime

Practice Exercises with Crime Vocabulary

Complete the sentences using one or more words either from the above lists or from other vocabulary relating to this topic. The sentence must be grammatically correct once you have added the right word(s).

The ………………. is the strongest deterrent against crime.

The number of ……………….. is on the rise due to the impact of peer pressure at school and violent movies shown on TV. Teenagers are prone to ……………. aggressive behaviour.

All people accused of a crime should be given a fair ……………. in a ………… of law.

People who are convicted a murder from only ………………………. evidence should not receive the death penalty.

The motives of a crime should always be taken into consideration. For example. there is a significant difference in the character of a person who commits ……………… murder and one who commits accidental murder.

A ………….. sentence is more humane than capital punishment.

Punishment should be the last resort. Instead criminals should be …………………….

People who commit ……….. crimes, such as traffic offences, should have their ……………….. revoked.

Famous people, such as movie stars, should set a good ………… and ensure that they are good …………….. for young people to follow.

…………… and the right to a fair ……………. should be the right of all citizens.

Parents who inflict ……………… punishment on their children are showing children that …………….. is an acceptable way to deal with problems.

Prison does not rehabilitate criminals, it only …………. them from society. …………….. service and rehabilitation is a better way to avoid criminals becoming ………………….

Answers

death penalty (the answer can’t be “capital punishment” because it doesn’t use the article “the”)

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